Entries of Oceanborne Container Units

Entries of Oceanborne Container Units

The container entries data from U.S. Customs
and Border Protection (CBP) represented in this
section and the next and in figure 15 and figure 16 are
different from the TEU data presented earlier in
the report. The CBP entries data count individual
container units, while the TEU data refer to 20-foot
equivalent units (that is, one 20-foot container
equals one TEU, and one 40-foot container equals
two TEUs). Because containers come in different
lengths (for example, 20 feet, 40 feet, and 48 feet),
the CBP figures on individual units differ from the
TEU figures, which convert the tonnage of goods
moved in the containers into TEUs.

The challenge of handling large volumes of containerized
imports from U.S. trading partners can
also be seen in the number of individual container
entries processed by CBP. After a slight decline in
the number of oceanborne containers entering the
United States in the aftermath of the September
11, 2001, attacks, the nation's seaports again
began handling an increasing number of container
units. In 2007, there were about 12 million oceanborne
container entries into the United States,
down slightly from 2006 but still double those of
2000 (figure 15). Maritime container entries peak in
the summer months, when imported merchandise
trade is delivered for the fall and holiday seasons
(figure 16).